Offence missing as Flyers blank Habs
Price’s strong game wasted on birthday
FLYERS 1, CANADIENS 0
TORONTO It’s too bad it was basically impossible for Carey Price to score a goal on his birthday.
Price turned 33 on Sunday, but the goaltender couldn’t get a W as a birthday gift as the Canadiens lost 1-0 to Philadelphia at Scotiabank Arena with the Flyers taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven firstround playoff series.
It was a familiar story for Price, who made 20 saves, with the Canadiens’ offence letting him down. Carter Hart made 23 saves for the Flyers to earn the shutout.
It was 15 years ago that the Canadiens selected Price with the No. 5 overall pick at the NHL Draft, and since then Montreal fans have watched him grow into a man, now married with two young daughters and a third child coming. There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way.
Like when Bell Centre fans heckled Price when the Canadiens were swept by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2009 playoffs. Price raised his arms and stick above his head at one point in the 4-1 Game 4 loss, bringing back memories of Patrick Roy’s final game with the Canadiens.
It was after that that former Canadiens GM Bob Gainey called Price “a thoroughbred.”
“I made a decision a year ago to put him in a position to gain experience,” Gainey said. “He got into a starting role at a very young age so he could accelerate the number of rich-experience games he could play.
“At 21, I think he’s doing pretty darn well,” Gainey added. “Besides that, I think he plays pretty good. If I was playing against him, I would think: ‘Man, that’s a good goalie, look at him, at the way he plays.’ “
The big, good-looking kid from the tiny village of Anahim Lake, B.C., had a lot of growing up to do on and off the ice and he had to do it under Montreal’s bright spotlight. He has since developed into a shining star and was again voted the best goalie in the NHL this season by his peer members of the NHLPA. It’s just too bad he can’t score. The Flyers’ Jakub Voracek scored the only goal of the game at 5:21 of the first period when he deflected a shot by Claude Giroux past Price.
The Canadiens’s penalty-killers were outstanding in the first period, killing off a double-minor for high-sticking against Jesperi Kotkaniemi and an interference penalty against Jeff Petry. Kotkaniemi also rang a shot off the post at the 8:07 mark and teammate Brett Kulak blasted one off the crossbar eight seconds later.
The Canadiens’ power play got its chance in the second period when the Flyers were given three straight penalties, but there were no goals.
Kotkaniemi hit his second post 35 seconds into the third period and Artturi Lehkonen had a good chance on a two-on-one with less than eight minutes left, but couldn’t score. The Canadiens pulled Price for an extra attacker with 1:31 left, but still couldn’t score.
Game 4 will be Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena (3 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).